The song of the summer is here! Sisqo has released an updated version of his 1999 hit “Thong Song” — and the dumps are still like a truck, truck, truck, in case you were wondering.
The R&B singer, 38, released an EDM remake of the tune with the help of Norwegian production group JCY. The new mix features a tropical house vibe with bigger, louder beat drops. The accompanying music video, which was released on Tuesday, July 18, is similar to the original spring break-themed clip, with several bikini-clad women frolicking around a beach and a neon roller-skating rink.
“I’ve been asked so many times over the years to make a new version of ‘Thong Song’ and I have declined every time until I heard the new version that JCY did,” Sisqo said in an interview with BuzzFeed published on Tuesday. “I thought it was dope and figured maybe it was time to put some new rims on the Bugatti.”
There were a few bumps in the road ahead of the video shoot, though. “The only problem was that, in the days leading up to the shoot, everything that could go wrong did,” the singer continued. “We experienced a devastating loss in our team and we were all pretty emotional. On top of that, I’d just done a show on the complete opposite side of the country where I dislocated three ribs. The epitome of insult to injury was the couple of hours we had to learn brand new choreography for the video right before recording it where in most cases you get a week to learn a new routine.”
Luckily, Sisqo was thrilled with the final product. “Even though I had to perform in the video injured, I think it turned out pretty good,” he told BuzzFeed.
“Thong Song” was originally released on New Year’s Eve in 1999. The jam peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and garnered four Grammy nominations, including Best R&B Song. Since then, the track has become a fan favorite.
“Every time I perform that song, as soon as those first strings start, everybody jumps into the time machine and goes back to the fun they had back then and the crowd still goes nuts,” Sisqo told Rolling Stone in 2014. “Instead of getting downplayed, it’s getting bigger with each year.”
